Tiara stared at the departing guests from Berilo before she turned toward Arthur. They were standing beside the pavilion she used to idle around and entertain her abilities.
“Are you alright with me seeing this much?” asked Tiara with confusion. “I might be a guest, but I am still an enemy.”
“You’ve helped me a lot during these past weeks. But, if I treat you with suspicion and caution, then it would be ungrateful. During this past year and a half, I learned how to gauge a person, and I know you are a good one.”
“Those words will be treasured deeply in my heart,” replied Tiara with a sweet smile and her hand held against her chest. “However, I ask not for trust, and distrust will not offend me. I just want to know you as a person before I have to fight you.”
“This is also a part of me,” said Arthur before he turned around and walked away. “It wouldn’t be wise to make an enemy of someone who is not the enemy yet. After all, we don’t all follow our fates.”
Tiara stared at him before walking beside him, returning to their headquarters. The flower danced in farewell as their princess departed and blessed Arthur with their life force.
“Ascent has grown quite formidable in a single week. It is almost a miracle,” said Tiara with admiration. “Although you have yet to pick new members to join us, I heard that there are over a thousand requests. How many do you plan on accepting?”
“Initially, I thought it would be one percent,” said Arthur with a sigh. “However, the people that are coming now are too eager. There are almost five hundred neo-rankers among them. It seems they have just awakened and want protection.”
“I heard this caused a lot of people to migrate to Shon, and their Patriarch accepted them. This strengthened the kingdom further as an influx of awakeners defected to The Land of Common Blood.”
“This does remind me of a certain someone,” muttered Arthur. “I wonder if she woke up already. She should be chasing me in a rage now, but the hustle and bustle prevented her from doing that.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“I am talking about the Saint of Shon.” Arthur laughed as he remembered her moody temperament. “The last time we met, I offered her to join Ascent. If she does take that invite, things will get quite interesting.”
“Ascent is currently seen as the opposing force to the giants of the world. Even though the commoners believe in it, they know it doesn’t stand a chance if the world gangs up on your guild. However, if Saint Rae does join Ascent, things will be different.”
“If she does want to join, then she needs to let go of her position as the saint,” said Arthur as they reached the barrier. The doors opened, revealing the Runic Dome in its full glory. “After all, we resent nobility in all sorts.”
“That is unwise, creator.” Tiara shook her head. “If Ascent can become the face of the common blood, then it needs to be an ally of Shon.”
“I learned a lot of things about the descendants of dragons.” Arthur entered the dome, followed by the princess. “If that is the common blood, then we are cursed. The blood of dragons should not flow in the veins of humans.”
“Are you suggesting that…?” muttered Tiara with shock. Arthur left without answering, waved his hand at her, and dismissed the topic.
“Lunch will be ready soon. I took a lot of your time, so let’s dig in,” said Arthur while leaving. Tiara sighed and stared at him for a while before leaving as well. A pair of shadows followed her.
Arthur passed the first layer, where an ample space housed the goblins. After interrogating Mero, it seems all of them didn’t get thrown to the other world but were trained by the former Arthur in this dome. This made the first layer their home, where they trained and created weapons for him.
However, this knowledge left Arthur wondering how Kira managed to enter the trial grounds. However, as the trial was a separate timeline, it might have forced itself into this one.
“This is annoying me,” muttered Arthur as he grabbed his head and ruffled it. Kira was there in the trial, no doubt. However, it might have been another incident that sent him into the past. The goblins reported his absence ever since they moved to this Runic Dome.
In any case, Kira was an essential member of his troops and friends. He was the one who protected Arthur when he was weak, not to mention he missed having a giant fluffy friend. Therefore, Arthur decided to seek any fissures during this time and look for Kira next to them.
“Arthur!” Julia shouted as she came out of the second layer. “How did the negotiations with Berilo go? Are they going to provide us with the pocket dimension?”
“It was successful. Make sure to send more food to Kirk.”
“I will,” nodded Julia before taking out a list. “These are the recruits that applied, who are also above the neo rank. The rest are all rei and Vetus-rank. However, there is one person who turned out to be a deme-ranker.”
“A deme-ranker wants to join our guild, even though we have yet to clear any dungeons?” Arthur was surprised before taking the list. The name was the first one on the list: Yuran Evel. After realizing who it was, Arthur’s heart shook.
“It is Yuran!” Arthur laughed before handing the list back to Julia. She stared at him with confusion before following him back into the hall. “He is a friend, I think. I once suspected him of having ill intentions against my father, but that makes him even more reliable. Have the shadows contact him.”
“There are already a few of them at his place. We have his address, which seems to be an island in the Great Blood Ocean.” Julia was confused as she took back the list. “Is he trustable?”
“That cannot be answered without meeting him first. Bring me his coordinates, and I will teleport there. There are a few things that I need to ask him.”
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” said Julia with a frown. “That island has been inhabited by artificial golems, as the reports said. Even more, if he knows you, then this might be a trap.”
“I can handle a few golems,” grinned Arthur. “I also need to thank Fey for aiding me against Amelio. But, don’t worry, big sister. I will be back before dinner!”
“Don’t call me that!” Julia flared up before throwing Yuran’s coordinates toward him. Arthur laughed before snatching it and then beginning to teleport toward that island. However, the exact coordinates seemed to be locked, and Arthur had to link the portal a distance away from it.
His connection with his shadows made things easier, but Arthur could create a portal that took him anywhere as long as he had enough mana. However, before he could jump through space, Julia held his arm.
“Are you leaving now?” she asked, her face almost furious. “There are a lot of matters that we need to solve. First is the matter of Mr. Tate, Master Ronin, and the guild’s structure. A guild is more than just a name and fame!”
“I will leave all of that to you, dear sister,” said Arthur with a cheeky smile before turning ethereal and entering the portal. It was liberating to use his abilities as he wished with the rest because he could see their amazement.
Arthur teleported toward the island where Yuran was living. His shoes landed on the sandy beach as waves struck his legs from behind. Arthur stared at the small island in front of him with wonder.
“That castle must be where he lives. A man of such mysterious home was that kind and gentle Yuran?” muttered Arthur before making his way through the shore.
A few moments later, Arthur met the guards that Julia mentioned. A giant golem made from shiny metallic plates found him and started attacking him immediately. Arthur dodged and touched the golem, writing a single rune on its surface.
[Scan-II]
It was a rune that allowed him to visualize an object or creature and find a method to win against him. Arthur didn’t wish to break them, so he wanted to use efficient strikes to disable them.
[Etherealize-III]
He obtained this rune a long time ago, and Arthur struck the golem in his abdomen. Before the giant could bash Arthur’s head, it stopped moving before the light turned off in its eyes.
There were more golems than he anticipated, but Arthur started taking them out while walking along the coastline. The castle was on top of a hill, which a path down the coast could access.
“Accelerate,” muttered Arthur, and his body turned into a mirage before he rushed down the coastline. Every golem Arthur faced fell motionless, and Arthur made his way toward the castle on the cliff.
